Warbird Information Exchange

Bell P-59 Folks:

Did some research on the below Chino boneyard Bell P-59 taken #04 c. 1983. It's one of 66 built by Bell c. 1942 & it's currently under restoration at the Chino Air Museum in S. Calif. AAF 42-108777. It was a dual cabin test aircraft at one time. Flew with a UK design jet engine W-1 in c. 1942. It did not perform as expected but it's all part of our early aviation design, aerodynamics and A&P beginnings!


The sample below, id ukn for now... of the final product in an interesting scheme & angle. c. 1942. Photo via AEC

There is one on a pole at Edwards Air Force Base and one on display at the March Field air museum as well, so maybe 3 within a 100 mile radius.

Wikipedia shows 6 survivors:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-59_Airacomet

They Have been working on it since the first time I visited Chino in 1980. I would have loved to have seen it restored with a modern, safe, fuel efficient turbofan (like the re-engined TEMCO TT-1 Pintos) , and kept the second seat. Rarity and owner's choice are reverting back to maximum authenticity.

The original engines were overhauled some time ago- I think GE donated the overhaul. No matter what engine you put in it still won't be a good airplane. Aerodynamically it is a pretty dumpy design with its straight, fat wings and it is unpressurized.

It is mostly waiting on money for the flight test effort I think. The aircraft is essentially complete.

A couple shots

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Might as well use the original image... Just wish I'd taken a full shot, but the Kodak Disc didn't hold many photos.

Again at Chino, 2007:

2008:




And here's 44-22614 at the March Field museum:



Going to Baugher, here are the seven (?) survivors:

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

And while we're at it, here are some 1951 Life magazine images of 42-108783, another two-seat conversion, being used as a strafing target for F-89s at Edwards AFB:

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Pioneer Village Museum in Nebraska claims to have the first P-59 from 1942. Hanging from the ceiling in one of the display buildings.

Their website does refer to it as the first American jet, but this example, a P-59B, is actually the latest-numbered survivor (third from the last built). Photo here: http://www.johnweeks.com/p59/p59warp.html

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Back in the mid-fifties, one of our squadron check pilots, George Fletcher, had been a member of the first outfit to be equipped with the p-59 at Santa Ana CA, IIRC. His opinion was that the best thing about the P-59 was it only had a 20 minute fuel range so he didn't have to spend a lot of time flying it!
Jack

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Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska, does have P-59B-1-BE, sn 44-22656 mounted on poles.

I have a soft spot for the P-59, always like the photos of it at Muroc with the dummy propeller. Always surprised by the size of the wing, both in chord and thickness.

Interesting that the specs for the P-59 and the Meteor F1 are pretty close, with similar weights, span and thrust. Seems Gloster got most of it right....

The 'fake' propeller (or one like it) is hanging on the wall of the hangar at Chino right above the restoration. If there is any justice in the world, the day it is unveiled to the public it will come out of the hangar under a tarp with that prop on the nose.

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Sort of like this?

http://th04.deviantart.net/fs9/PRE/i/20 ... obeast.jpg

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.